The Ascendant Stars
Humanity's Fire, Book 3
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Narrated by:
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David Thorpe
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By:
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Michael Cobley
About this listen
Battle-ready factions converge above Darien, all with the same objective. The goal is control over this newly discovered planet and access to the powerful weapons at its heart. Despotic Hegemony forces dominate much of known space and they want this world too, but Darien's inhabitants will fight for their future.
However, key players in this conflict aren't fully in control. Hostile AIs have infiltrated key minds and have an agenda, requiring nothing less than the destruction or subversion of all organic life. And they are near to unleashing their cohorts, a host of twisted machine intelligences caged beneath Darien.
Fighting to contain them are Darien's hidden guardians, and their ancient ally the Construct, on a millennia-long mission to protect sentient species. As the war reaches its peak, the AI army is roaring to the surface, to freedom and an orgy of destruction. Darien is first in line in a machine vs. human war - for life or the sterile dusts of space.
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The Reality Dysfunction
- Night's Dawn Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Peter F. Hamilton
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 41 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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In AD 2600, the human race is finally beginning to realize its full potential. Hundreds of colonized planets scattered across the galaxy host a multitude of prosperous and wildly diverse cultures. Genetic engineering has pushed evolution far beyond nature's boundaries, defeating disease and producing extraordinary spaceborn creatures. Huge fleets of sentient trader starships thrive on the wealth created by the industrialization of entire star systems, and throughout inhabited space the Confederation Navy keeps the peace.
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Finally on Audible!! My favorite Hamilton series!
- By Patrick on 04-05-16
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Mech Zero: The Dominant
- By: B. V. Larson
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 1 hr and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Death awaits the curious! Out along the rim of the galaxy hangs a loose configuration of some 60 stars known as the Faustian Chain. This whorl of sparkling suns is rich in planets and occupies an irregular volume of space some 20 light years in diameter. From an external viewpoint, the Chain presents a colorful display of plasma-streams, luminous nebulae and sparkling pinpoints of light.
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No hero's here
- By SteveM on 07-17-16
By: B. V. Larson
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Battle Cruiser
- Lost Colonies, Book 1
- By: B. V. Larson
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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One starship will either save Earth or destroy her. A century ago our star erupted, destroying Earth's wormhole network and closing off trade with her colonized planets. After being out of contact with the younger worlds for so many years, humanity is shocked when a huge ship appears at the edge of the solar system. Our outdated navy investigates, both curious and fearful. What they learn from the massive vessel shocks the planet.
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Disappointing, Juvenile
- By Russ on 12-27-15
By: B. V. Larson
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Legion of the Damned
- Legion of the Damned, Book 1
- By: William C. Dietz
- Narrated by: Donald Corren
- Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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In the future, the terminally ill can prolong life by surrendering their consciousness to a cybernetic life form that is then recruited into the notorious Legion of the Damned, an elite fighting unit charged with protecting humanity.
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Pretty poor
- By Taliesin on 05-09-10
By: William C. Dietz
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Critical Dawn
- The Critical Series, Book 1
- By: Darren Wearmouth, Colin F. Barnes
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Archaeologists Pippa Quinn and Charlie Jackson find advanced technology in undisturbed 16th-century graves. A portent, the discovery precedes thousands of giant sinkholes opening up across the globe as extreme weather threatens the population. Charlie suspects the two are related.
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Younger adult sci-if.
- By William W on 07-22-15
By: Darren Wearmouth, and others
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Tantalus Depths
- By: Evan Graham
- Narrated by: Andi Arndt
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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The Tantalus 13 survey expedition went off the rails as soon as Mary Ketch and the crew of the Diamelen learned that the thing beneath their feet wasn’t a planet. An impossibly vast and ancient artificial structure lies below, hidden from the universe under a façade of cratered stone. SCARAB arrived on Tantalus 13 two years ago. An artificially intelligent, self-constructing factory, it was supposed to aid the crew in their mission, to meet their every need.
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Good primer for Young Adults new to sci-fi!
- By Philip Maddox on 10-09-22
By: Evan Graham
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In the Ocean of Night
- Galactic Center, Book 1
- By: Gregory Benford
- Narrated by: Maxwell Caulfield
- Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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It is 2019. NASA astronaut Nigel Walmsley is sent on a mission to intercept a rogue asteroid on a collision course with Earth. Ordered to destroy it, he instead discovers that it is actually the shell of a derelict space probe - a wreck with just enough power to emit a single electronic signal….
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Like some Space with your Soaps?
- By Bradley on 05-15-12
By: Gregory Benford
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The Awakening
- Broken Worlds, Book 1
- By: Jasper T. Scott
- Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Darius Drake is desperate to save his daughter, Cassandra. So desperate he's willing to risk their lives in cryo-sleep to give her a future. But the dark, freezing vault where he wakes up is nothing like the luxurious Florida hospital he remembers. Everything about this place is alien to him, even the language. Little does he know how alien it really is. Darius and his daughter go exploring their new surroundings with a few others from the cryo pods, and they soon discover frozen, mutilated bodies everywhere.
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Alien/Predator/Star Wars mashup
- By Leonidas Karr on 08-28-18
By: Jasper T. Scott
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Bill Baldwin's The Helmsman
- By: Bill Baldwin
- Narrated by: Steve Cumming, full cast
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Original Recording
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One of the few survivors of a League sneak attack on his poor and miserable homeworld of Carescria, Wilf Brim sets out to settle the score. Were it not for the attrition from the war that followed, Wilf would never have escaped his lower-class status and been accepted into the Academy. Now, freshly graduated, young Sublieutenant Wilf Ansor Brim, Imperial Fleet, begins his first assignment, Helmsman of the I.F.S. Truculent.
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The Helmsman
- By David on 05-28-04
By: Bill Baldwin
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Battletech Chronicles Books 1-3
- By: Robert Charrette, Michael A. Stackpole
- Narrated by: Christopher Graybill
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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As a MechWarrior of the Draconis Combine, Minobu Tetsuhara was bound by Bushido - a code that demands loyal service - to the devious Warlord Grieg Samsonov. But when Minobu came upon a strange blue-and-gold Archer, Bushido also dictated that he not destroy the honorable but helpless warrior. And so begins the BattleTech Chronicles, books one, two and three...
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Bait & Switch Tactics
- By Scott D. Free on 11-10-20
By: Robert Charrette, and others
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Fleet of Worlds
- 200 Years Before the Discovery of the Ringworld
- By: Larry Niven, Edward M. Lerner
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Fleet of Worlds takes a closer look at Human-Puppeteer (Citizen) relations and the events leading up to Niven's first Ringworld novel. Kirsten Quinn-Kovacks is among the best and brightest of her people. She gratefully serves the gentle race that rescued her ancestors from a dying starship, gave them a world, and nurtures them still. If only the Citizens knew where Kirsten's people came from.
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Hurrah!
- By Bruce on 01-25-08
By: Larry Niven, and others
What listeners say about The Ascendant Stars
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Just reading
- 03-10-17
Great series
Overall good narration and a solid storyline. Especially pleased with the abundance of different species and civilizations.
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- clayton seals
- 05-22-18
decent trilogy
Decent trilogy, Unfortunately it may have been trying to do to much in just 3 books.
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- Rob
- 04-21-20
On balance, it's good fun
I'm sympathetic to the review that suggests that these novels are pretty packed. The Humanity's Fire series is an eye-popping tour of a highly elaborate galaxy. At times it might have helped to slow down, and I wondered at the choice to have some key events occur offstage.
Even so, this is a triumphant conclusion to the trilogy and one that rewards the attentive listener. Even as I might have liked a more measured pace, Cobley and Thorpe's strengths are undeniable. The former renders his universe with wit and verve. Although I could guess at influences, it emerges with distinction. I'd give special emphasis to his use of humor: there is a persistent patter of it throughout that livens up the action. Even if the series could have used either expansion or decluttering, I was never exhausted.
Thorpe is a remarkably gifted narrator, breathing life into the wide array of humans, aliens, robots, and others. His own passion for the material is readily apparent.
Some intricate series wear one out. Even as this did grow more elaborate over time, it held its own and gained something with each successive installment. I'll look forward to new adventures in the fourth book.
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